I decided to do a bit of rebranding with Journey Home Made. New year, new look. I feel this is a much more cohesive representation of me, my buslife, and my creative endeavors. I was so inspired by figuring out a look, color palette, and general vibe that I felt was "me". These really are my favorite things. It kind of surprises me how feminine it all looks when gathered together, because I'm not the most girly-girl. I've always been a bit of a tomboy, and I joke that I have some dude-like tendencies, but there is no denying I love pretty stuff. So, I am going to embrace the pretty, and run with it.

I decided to incorporate soft watercolor washes, my beloved neutral color palette, lots of texture (including my styling surfaces), ethereal imagery (I do love a cloud photo), natural elements, artistic bits, and a comfy vibe to tie it all together. I poured through my photo library looking for the photographs that resonated with me the most, and based my color palette on the colors that appeared most often. Of course neutrals, and soft whites made regular appearances, along with the blush tones of a desert landscape, blues of the ocean and sky, and shades of green found in nature.

I'm so excited! Cozy is on Design Sponge today. Rebekah Carey created a lovely feature on my little home on wheels. This is a big deal for a tiny bus! I'll be sharing some of the photo's from the photo shoot soon (Furgus looks really cute too). I feel so honored to be a tiny part of such an inspiring blog. Have a peek: Cozy On Design Sponge

The last few days I have been making mixed media blank art journals. I am having so much fun playing with this new idea. I have several that I'm working on, but this is the first one to make it into the shop. I call it Snow Flower. It's a combination of paper, collage, acrylic paint, pencil, ink, and mica flecks. For me, it's the lovely mix of sparkle and beautiful messiness. I think it would make a great gift for a writer, artist, or a place for my fellow travelers to keep mementos.

I've experienced a series of mechanical issues with Cozy. We were stuck in the forest, and unable to start the bus, until the glow plugs were replaced. We drove to Napa, CA, a couple of days after the glow plugs were replaced, and once again Cozy wouldn't start. It was really discouraging. Above is a picture of Cozy on here way to another mechanic. This time it was the fuel injection pump, and it was a very costly repair. It's all part of the journey, right? Hopefully we'll be driving well for many miles to come.

Cozy is currently unable to start, and we are stuck, in the forest, in Fort Bragg CA. It's a beautiful location to be stuck, but all the same, I'm ready to be back on the road. It's been pretty cold in the bus, the trees and smoke are not helping the solar panel, food, butane, and propane supplies are dwindling, dirty laundry and trash seem to be in abundance. The problem seems to be with Cozy's glow plugs (like spark plugs for diesel engines). I had to order the parts, which have now arrived, and we are waiting for the mechanic to install them this weekend. I can't wait to turn the key and hear her come to life! Figers crossed that happens soon.

The pull of the sea has been strong. I didn't intend to stay in Mendocino so long, but this beautiful place seems to have a magnetic tug on my heart. It's hard to believe I've been here since March, but one thing after another helped me to justify staying. Soon the time will come to leave, and I will miss it, but I look forward to seeing what comes next. I'll be back dear Mendocino, I'll be back next year.

I wanted to introduce my little copilot Furgus (Furgie for short). He was rescued from the Humane Society, and is now living an adventure-filled life on Cozy the Bus. He is a Lynx Point Siamese, which is basically a Lilac Point Siamese and Tabby mix. He has the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen on a kitty.

He loves his bus and going for walks wearing his harness. He is a really sweet little guy!

I went on a road trip to Valley of Fire. I drove through the Lake Mead Recreational Area to get there. It was a beautiful drive, and the weather was perfect. As you drive along, you begin to see red rocks here and there. Then, off in the distance, you see Valley of Fire rising up in the landscape. Everything surrounding it is so neutral, the red stands out and draws you closer.

The red rocks, blue skies, and green vegetation mingle, creating a visual treat. The petroglyphs and the Elephant Rock were highlights of the trip.

It looks like Cozy is going to be featured in an upcoming book (more details coming soon, fingers crossed). So, I took some overview pictures of her, in her current state. I'm currently waiting for a ceiling vent/fan to arrive. Once that's installed, I will be completing the embossed wallpaper ceiling covering.

Here are a few pictures of Cozy's bedroom area. Under the bed platform is a nice big (well, relatively speaking) storage area that can be accessed for inside the bus, or through the backdoor. I keep my clothes in baskets, that you can see under the bed. I also have additional undie storage in little crates at the foot of my bed.

Went on a road trip to Zion National Park. This was the first national park on my journey. I look forward to checking more parks off my bucket list. This is "off season" at Zion, but I can't imagine why, the weather was perfect and the colors were gorgeous.

Here are some update pictures of the potty area in the bus. The walls are made from old doors, the front of the enclosure is faced with birch bark sheets. Inside the enclosure I have a composting toilet, and Nessa's cat box.

The last minute scramble of moving out of my rental house caused me to neglect the blog. A lot has happened with Cozy. Here are some pictures of how the kitchen developed. I still don't have a faucet, but other than that, it's pretty much done. The faucet I ordered didn't fit, so the search for one that will work continues.

I have much more to share, so stay tuned, I promise to be back soon. Happy Sunday!

More work on the kitchen. I've decided not to go with the "L" shape counter design. Once I saw all the pieces in place, I felt it would work better this way. There will be shelves at the end of the counter, that will hold jars of grains, beans, etc.

Started work on Cozy's kitchen. Ultimately, the kitchen will be an "L" shape, to make the most of the limited space that I have. The kitchen sits above the wheel wells. The shelf will hold the water (fresh and gray) containers. I hope to get the counter top on today. Thanks to Sam for a big assist on this part of the build!

Lots of progress being made in Cozy (thank you Sam for the help!). The bed is in, the everything-table is in place, and I built the potty area. The bathroom walls are made from doors purchased at an architectural salvage store. I will have a composting toilet, and the hole cut in the front of the enclosure allows the cat access to the cat box inside. I'm going to cut a small hole and mount a computer fan to vent inside the enclosure to keep things smelling nice and fresh in the bus.